The Manchester Civil Justice Centre is a striking government building located in Manchester, England in the United Kingdom. It houses several of Manchester’s court services and departments, including the County Court and the Manchester District Registry of the High Court, the city’s Family Proceedings Court, and the district probate registry. It is considered as one of the first major court complexes built in the country since 1882 when the George Edmund Street’s Royal Courts of Justice was completed.

Manchester Civil Justice Centre History

Greater Manchester required a building that will be housing its new courts. The local government hosted an international design competition that will come up with a landmark building to complement the development going on around the Manchester area since 2000.

Some of the factors in the design included a minimum floor plate of 300,000 square feet and that the building has the flexibility for housing potential office spaces. The competition attracted around 100 applicants which were later curbed down to a list of 49 entrants. A short list of eleven was eventually considered. Eventually, Australian architects Denton Corker Marshall with engineers Mott MacDonald was announced as the winner of the competition.

Construction of the building began in 2003 funded through a public-private partnership deal between developer Allied London and the government. The government and justice departments have a 35 year lease on the building, after which the building will have the option to become an office building in case of a lease exchange. The building eventually opened in October of 2007. It was officially inaugurated on February 28, 2008.

Manchester Civil Justice Centre Features

The Manchester Civil Justice Centre 17-storey elongated structure with its design inspired by Expressionist architecture as well as by the Futurist movement. It stands 80 meters or 260 feet tall. It is considered as the 6th tallest building in the Manchester city centre.

The building is noted for its cantilevered floors at the end of the building. It provided a distinct architectural style that gave it the nickname the “filing cabinet”. For its dynamic design and fluid sense of movement, the building was nominated for the RIBA’s Stirling Prize in 2007.Architecture Design – GuideTo.Com